Choose the incorrect statement out of the following:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Guru Nanak appointed one of his disciples ‘Arjun’ to succeed him as the preceptor.
Option (1) Guru Nanak rejected the sacrifices and rituals of both Hindus and Muslims. — Correct statement. He firmly repudiated the external practices of the religions around him and rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
Option (2) Guru Nanak did not wish to establish his own new religion. — Correct statement. It appears that he did not wish to establish a new religion; it was after his death that his followers consolidated their own practices and distinguished themselves from both Hindus and Muslims.
Option (3) Guru Nanak advocated the form of Nirguna Bhakti. — Correct statement. His hymns and teachings suggest that he advocated a form of nirguna bhakti; for him the Absolute, or ‘rab’, had no gender or form.
Option (4) Guru Nanak appointed one of his disciples ‘Arjun’ to succeed him as the preceptor. — Incorrect statement. Guru Nanak appointed his disciple Angad to succeed him as the preceptor (guru). Guru Arjan was the fifth preceptor, who compiled Guru Nanak’s hymns, with those of his four successors and other poets, in the Adi Granth Sahib.
Note: The original NTA paper printed Option (4) as ‘Guru Nanak appointed one his disciple ‘Angad’ to succeed him as the perceptor.’ This is a true statement, so as printed none of the four statements was incorrect, although the NTA answer key gives Option (4). Therefore, to leave a single correct answer, Option (4) has been changed to ‘Guru Nanak appointed one of his disciples ‘Arjun’ to succeed him as the preceptor.’, for the benefit of students.
NCERT (2026-27): “8.2 Baba Guru Nanak and the Sacred Word … The message of Baba Guru Nanak is spelt out in his hymns and teachings. These suggest that he advocated a form of nirguna bhakti. He firmly repudiated the external practices of the religions he saw around him. He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims. For Baba Guru Nanak, the Absolute or ‘rab’ had no gender or form. He proposed a simple way to connect to the Divine by remembering and repeating the Divine Name, expressing his ideas through hymns called ‘shabad’ in Punjabi, the language of the region. Baba Guru Nanak would sing these compositions in various ragas while his attendant Mardana played the rabab. Baba Guru Nanak organised his followers into a community. He set up rules for congregational worship (sangat ) involving collective recitation. He appointed one of his disciples, Angad, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru), and this practice was followed for nearly 200 years. It appears that Baba Guru Nanak did not wish to establish a new religion, but after his death his followers consolidated their own practices and distinguished themselves from both Hindus and Muslims. The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled Baba Guru Nanak’s hymns along with those of his four successors and other religious poets like Baba Farid, Ravidas (also known as Raidas) and Kabir in the Adi Granth Sahib.…” |